Grenade Games 4: Part 2

I awake Day 2 to the early onset of RVD. I slept Saturday night in Kyle Clancy’s camper and received a hangover and head cold for my troubles. Then we encountered the requisite police harassment on the June Loop. Not an ideal way to start out “The Lords Day.” Once I dropped into the pipe at June my mood immediately changed. With 15-foot high walls that barely crept to vert it was a total ego pipe. All a rider had to do was think about ollieing and you were instantly 2 feet out. While other areas are in the midst of a Freudian arms race to see who can build a bigger halfpipe June and their cutter Doug Mercer took their eight-year old Purple Dragon and created a u-tube for the ages.

As the majority of the participants imbibed and indulged, a handful of us got after it on the snow. Louie Vito Elgeurialed the riders right eye jib while Lucas Magoon blocked and blunted the riders left. Scotty Arnold and Darrell Mathes alley-oop backside rodeod while Chris Grenier and Nate Farrell Haakon flipped and Cripped. Meanwhile Danny Kass and Cody Rosenthal styled every trick in the book as industry dudes like Brian Regis, Creepy Kyle, D-Tale and Jarod Johnson proved that even weekend warriors can battle with the best of ‘em in the frozen trenches. The most impressive rider of the day was Luke Mitrani. Seriously! The kid went double or triple overhead on each air. He won the highest air award, which on a day like 420 is pretty heavy. As it was a two day affair there was also an overall champion. Again, Chas Guldemond took top honors. He deserved it too because Chas gets it. He doesn’t take the big contests like the US Open too seriously and he doesn’t take fun events like the Grenade Games too lightly. He understands that riding for your friends can be more important than trying to impress some judge who hasn’t dropped into a halfpipe since the ISF disbanded.

Grenade did snowboarding right by having the Grenade Games. This year rootsy events had a renaissance. The World Quarters, Holy Oly and other low key good time get togethers are more vital to our sport now than ever. Next year the Olympic hype machine should be starting up again and the Dew Tour is set to tax a contest calendar that is already over burdened. Yet in the case of these anti-contest contests they really are by riders for riders. That is what makes the Grenade Games worth partaking in. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Related Links:

Grenade Games 4: Part 1
Grenade Games 4 Video: Return to June
Boned Age Teaser

Results:
Chinese Eyed Downhill: Thor Ryen
Zumiez Meat Helicopter: Chas Guldemond
Zumiez Boned Age Award: Kyle Clancy
Boosted Highest Air: Luke Mitrani
Best Mountain Award: June Mountain
Rusty White Best Shred Photog Award: Jeff Curley
Most Radical Dude: Chas Guldemond